Truck spring



Oct. 17, 1933. l F- R. DRENNING 1,931,183

TRUCK SPRING Filed Feb. 6, 1930 ftrsgc?. grae/71? Patented Oct. 17, 1933 :UNITED STATES TRUCK SPRING a Percy R. Drenning, Baltimore, Md., assignorto T. lrsymington & Son, Inc., Baltimore, Md., I l i If: y

`a corporation of Maryland Application February 6,1930. seal No.lzsss s claims. (c1. 267-4) Y The invention relates to railway truck springs, particularly of the helical type arranged in groups or nests.

The principal object of the invention, generally-stated, is to provide a truck spring group embodying a plurality of helical springs coordinated to give adequate support for all loads and possessing characteristics as to capacity, travel.

and periodicity to prevent synchronization of vibration and thereby break upanytendency of the assembly to jiggle.

It is well known that the present various standi ard types of truck springs consist of groups Yof helical springs, either single or double, arrangedF in symmetrical relation and having the same travel, free height and capacity.V Owing to thev large carrying capacity of modernv freight'cars it is apparent that the load upon and deflection of the truck springs varies through la wide range depending upon whether the car is empty, lightly loadedA or fully and heavily loaded. Springs ably little cushioning eiect under light load con- `awo g. 4period of .vibration of the springs is synchronized with the passage of the wheels over lowv spots,

.35 opposite each other in the two rails the vibration Y which will act properly under no load or` light` load conditions go solid under heavy load conditions and springs capable ofoperating effi.

ciently under heavy load conditions have remarkditions. Furthermore as the ordinary springs are all of the same character, that is .to say in so rfaras travel, free height, etc. are concerned, they all have the ysame period of vibration such as is broughtabout by passage-of the car wheels over f the track, it being known that when the natural above facts in viewthat I have devised the presvent invention ,which has for its object the provision of a truck spring assembly or cluster com'Y prising individual springs having a combined capacity suflicient to take1care of the heaviest load but having different travels so thatonly certain of the springs willcome into play under light or medium .load conditions, the remainder serving to buff or snub a sudden downward thrust, thereby making it possible not only to give theproper cushioning eilect regardless ofthe load but check jiggle and avoid the disadvantages above enumerated in connection with standard equipment'.

Another object o2 the invention is to provide av truck springlcluster in which the be" i .of the single or double coil type,'the number of units dependingVr upon the car capacity, one or more of theunits or coils .inthecluster` being o! less free and overall height than the others solasvl .6.0. not to come into play until a certain load conditionexists, the coil or coilsof less free height having energy stored up in them which will break up the 'straight line' curve of helical springs so .that synchronization with thevresultant @sad-,36.5

vantage of jggle Will Vbe prevented. ,A

A further 4object `of theinventionisto provide a truck spring cluster composedfof A. R'.` A., N.

and W., or other types, having two' or more stand- -arddouble or single coil springs and one lrmore` modified units which may comprise standard" i coils with means auxiliary thereto for bringing aboutthe desired result.

Amore specific object of the invention is toprovide a truck spring cluster. in which the modifica-,J5

tionfof certain of the coils consists in aninitialm or preliminary` compression thereof -so thatthey will have a'4 less free height than normalther'eby enabling them to come into play successively as the load increases, these partially,,compressed0 springs acting to snub downward movement of the` truck bolster. i

Another object ofthe invention is toprovifde a spring assembly embodying a combinationofordinary single or double coil units and one or more 8 5 modified units which may be either of the single4 or double coil type equipped for instance with bolt means for maintaining a certain preliminary compression, itbeinga feature that intheev'ent that more than one modified unit'is providedfo` there would'be a different degreev ofv compression' of the two. L

Still another object of the invention 'isto provide a spring assembly embodying the specifled characteristics but which may yet be .used with- 95 the ordinary types of spring caps, though a modi?" lied construction of the lattermay beresorted to if found4 advisable.

Y An additional object is to provide astructure of this character which win cost but um@4 more than }00 `the ordinary or standard type and which may be installed with exactly the same 4facility andr in the same manner While possessing the above nientionedfeatures of superiority.

To the attainment ofthe foregomg `and other-i105 objectsand advantages, the invention preferably consists in the details of construction and thearrangement *and` combination lof parts', to be here- 1 .inafter more fully .described and claimed, and il-l lustrated in the accompanying drawing `in vvhichz.Y .110

vfor the ordinary types of spring, nests.

Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the spring assembly on the line 1-1 of Figure 3 and showing the standardsprings in the cluster,

Figure 2 is a similar view taken on the line 2-2 f of Figure 3 and showing the modied units, and Figure 3 is a plan View of the nest. Referring more particularly to the drawing, it may be said generally that I have devised a spring assembly or cluster including a plurality of either single or double coils arranged between lower and -upper spring caps 1 and 2 of conventional design so that my assembly may be used as a replacement As is well known, such spring caps are formed as4 steel stampings of general rectangular shape withV rounded corners and havingdepressed central portions 3 so that they may be tied together by a retaining bolt 4. Furthermore such caps are formed with projections 5 adapted to enter withinV recesses in the underside of the truck bolster and in the spring plank orside frame to serve as retainingmeans. Itis also customary to provide the caps with ,inwardly struck projections or flanges 6" entering within the spring nests for centering' the same. ,Y K

Bro'adly` considered, my invention may comprise the employment of a plurality of springs all having the same standard capacity, if permitted to remain at their normal free height, but in which certain ones are held under an initiall deiiection or compression so as tobre'ak up the straightline Ispring curve and thereby be capable of acting as snubbers. More specifically considered, the in- Vvention may comprise the employment Yof'a pair of units 7 preferably diagonally arranged in the i nest and each consisting of standard'outer and inner compression coils 8 and 9 respectively. The

outer coils abut against the spring caps whereas, j asis customary, the irmer coils terminate slightly below the upper cap; However, there isrno par- Yticular limitation in this respect as. it is conceiv- 1 f able that these springs might be of the single instead of the double type or that both the outer 454 "There is nothing whatsoever distinctive'or un-' i usual about these two units.

and the inner might contact both'spring caps.

fIn carrying out the invention I make use of one or more modified units, two being shown in the present instance, alternating with the standard units, or in'other words diagonally arranged in the nest. These two units are designated generally bythe numerals 10 and 11 and it will be observed that they are of different heights owing to the fact that they are held under diiferent Y degrees of compression. Each of these is shown as comprising a single coil though it should be understood that this is not essential as outer and Ainner coils could be usedy if preferred. Each of thesesnubbed springs is represented as equipped i at' its ends with its own individual spring caps v12 guidably receiving projections 13 on the vspring caps 1 and 2, which projections are prefv "erablyof suiflcient diameter andA length to maintain these units in proper position. These springs are heldv under compression as by bolts 14 and l5. To preventlthe units from shaking or rat- 'tling' around in the nest the lower caps 12 may be Vsecured to the bottom spring cap in any'A desired manner as for example by spot welding.l

When the equipment is used on a car of a type which is operated either fully loaded or empty," there is no necessity for two snubbed springs of y '"75fdie1ent heights, but in other'cases, for examplebox cars where there may Nbea Wide variation spring in the unit l0 may be compressed, by

Acompression and havingV their free in the load it is clearly preferable to utilize two of the modified springs so that there will be different steps in the snubbing action, the standard springs supporting the ordinary light loads with the modified springs coming successively into play as the load progressively increases.

While definite ngures are not necessary to a proper understanding of the invention, it might be mentioned, by way of illustration, that the means of the tie bolt, T55- of an inch and therefore maintained under an initial Vcompression oi" approximately 5,000 pounds while the spring in the unit 11 may be compressed 5/8 oi an inch and be maintained under an initial compression of 10,000 pounds. In the operation, it is of course apparent that under light load conditions the cushioning efiectis afforded by the standard ytwo standard units, together with the one modiiied or compressed unit, will take care of inter- Vmediate loads.- Under the heaviest load conditions theY last remaining or modied spring willv come into play after the others have been de-VllO flected to' a certain predetermined extent and will in turn exert its snubbing action so `that the usual vertical jiggle will be reducedrto the minimum. While certain iiguresjare given above,fitf should be understood that there may be variations in this respect depending upon whether the nest have four, five, six or more units therein, this ldepending upon the character-ofl the car, thatV is to say its lading capacity, it 'being obvi-A ousthat different conditions are met with. in'l20 forty ton cars, for example, lthan exist in connectionwith those of the seventy ton type. It `will be understood that I reserve the rightto make all such changes-inV 'the capacity of the individual springs, the number of Vthose modified and the extent of preliminary'compression, as will not depart from the spirit of thev invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

l. A spr-ing assembly comprising a plurality of helical springs of standard height and capacity confined between upper and lower caps, and,v a unitwith individual caps held'under initial compression Yand having its free height reduced as V compared with the free height of the standard units and adapted to come into play upon deflection ofthe standard units beyond a predetermined extent.

2. In a spring assemblyja plurality of helical springs, certain of which are held under varyingY degrees of compression with the rfree heights thereof progressively decreasing.

3. In a spring assembly, a pluralityof helical spring unitsA of standard capacity andv height, and a plurality 'of other units subjected'to and maintained under` progressively varying degrees of height correspondingly decreased.l

4. A spring assemblyV comprising spring caps,

Having thus described'the invention, I claims-130 Y a plurality of standard helical spring units disposed therebetween in contacting relation thereto, a plurality of other units held under initial compression and equipped with individual caps adapted to engage the rst named caps.

5. In a spring assembly, upper and lower spring caps, a, plurality of standard helical springs disposed therebetween, anda plurality of modified units each including a helical spring equipped at its ends with individual caps adapted to cooperate with the first named caps upon deflection of the rst named springs beyond a predetermined extent, and tie bolts passing through the respective second named caps for maintaining the modified units under a predetermined initial compression with a reduced free height.

6. A railway truckspring assembly comprising l upper and lower caps, a plurality of helical springs interposed between and engaging against said caps and arranged side by side, a plurality of other helical springs disposed in side by side relation between the caps, individual caps fitting within the .second named helical springs and having cup portions extending toward each other, 

